THE BUBBLES WE INHABIT

I'm sure you are all familiar with the story of the boy who lived in a bubble. If not, briefly, it tells of a boy who was born without the antibodies to fight off bacteria of any kind and so any germs flying around in his environment had the potential of killing him.

His doctors suggested that his parents build him a sterile environment in their home to protect him from becoming victim to illnesses, and that he live there safely for the rest of his life. He would have no physical contact with his family, no hugs, no kisses, never see the sky or taste a raindrop or snowflake, but he'd be safe from the environment that could kill him in an instant.

So as the boy grows older, he begins to feel imprisoned rather than protected, and starts to sneak out of the bubble for periods of time to experience more of life. He gets stronger each time and in the end, rides off on a horse with his girlfriend.

So why am I telling you this story?

Because, we all, every one of us, live in a bubble of sorts. No, not to protect ourselves from germs and physical illnesses, but one to

keep us from experiencing painful emotions, insecurities, and real or imagined dangers. These "bubbles" contain certain opinions

about the world and our place in it that we have formed throughout our lives, and we hang onto them as if they were a suit of armor.

If someone comes along to challenge or disagree with one of those opinions, we can get very upset, even combative.

But as singers, performing artists, don't we want to grow and get better, and wouldn't we want to get constructive critiques from one who may know just a wee bit more about it than we do? Isn't that a part of learning the art of performance? Certainly!

So the question becomes, how do we know when we are acting from our fears that live in the "bubble" we constructed, or a desire to learn something new?

The answer lies in how we respond to the critiquing we receive, singers. Do we have a hissy fit and argue with the coach, name-call or simply quit?

Or do we examine the possibility that something we are doing as a performer isn't working for us, and that discovering a better way to do it could vastly improve our performance?

It takes some maturity, but I have found over the years that my "ah-hah"  moments have come from a teacher or coach coming along and popping a hole in my bubble once in a while, like popping a balloon, and letting some light shine in. Yes, it can be embarrassing, even humiliating in the moment, but once I can understand it, I make quantum leaps in whatever it was I was trying to learn.

Please, singers, open your minds and hearts to the experience of seeing something you have not seen yet. Pop your bubbles and let the light in!

You will be surprised how freeing it can be to let go of the very assumptions you have been guarding so tightly, and which have been holding you hostage!

The path to excellence is paved with mistakes, embarrassments, and humiliations, singers. Be BRAVE!!

The following is an excerpt from Volume One of my  "Art of Singing" Series. I publish it here for those of you who are late coming to the party here at Sing Your Life. 

If any of what you read resonates with you, please get a hold of me so I can send you the complete eBook, "A Voice for a Lifetime in 30 Days".

Volume One mainly deals with the mechanics of singing and maintaining a healthy instrument for a long long time, and this excerpt gives a small "hint: of what is covered in Volume Two, "The Art of Stage Presence", and silencing the inner critic. 

This material is free to all of the members of this network, so feel free to ask for it. 

So here, then is the excerpt:

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"STAGE PRESENCE"

(It’s not what you think)

In the next Volume, I deal more specifically with Stage Presence, but here’s a brief summary of what’s in Volume 2 of "The Art of Singing" series.

What’s your definition of Stage Presence?

Charisma...Rapport... Electricity... Confidence...Magnetism?

No matter what word you use to describe it, I think we’d all agree that we definitely know it when we see it, right? And we sure know it when it’s absent too. There are performers with absolutely beautiful voices who leave us cold, and there are those with harsh, raspy tones, who envelope us with their presence,and take us to another place in consciousness.

And the difference is...that word...Presence!

Depending upon which school of acting you subscribe to, there are all sorts of established "methods" by which one acquires Presence. But almost all schools of thought agree that stage presence is acquired through practice, self-discipline, and self-exploration, and that it is impossible to fake. Why? Because Presence comes from being comfortable with oneself, and cannot be taught.

One of the biggest misconceptions that my students have had over the years is that stage presence is a skill. It isn’t. Oh, yes! You do acquire it over time, but it is not a technique like breathing or holding a note for a long time. Stage presence is directly related to how much of YOU, you are willing to allow to come through in your performance. Simply stated, The more YOU, the more Presence...period!

And letting YOU come through in your performance requires that you take your attention off of yourself and put it on your audience, or point of reception. And this is something that evolves naturally as you become more confident and comfortable with yourself. If you are more interested in communicating with those who are listening, and less interested in how you sound, how you look, how your hand gestures look, how the light is shining on your face, then you will have achieved stage presence...a presence that fills the room where you perform and touches everyone in it.

If you’re still a bit confused by this concept, so let’s look further into this area of stage presence.

Most of you probably think that when you get up onto a stage, you automatically put on a persona, much the way an actor puts on the mask of the role he/she is playing. But if you were to ask any actor worth his salt, he would tell you that although he is playing a part, there must be a connection between the role and his own personality for him to be able to make that character real. This why you hear actors say so often, "I read the script and liked the story , but I couldn’t find anything in that character that I could relate to, so I turned it down."

Then there are those "actors" who see acting merely as a grown-up version of "pretend", and will play any role any time, and although some of these are well-known movie personalities, they are not considered actors with the Olivier’s, and Brando’s of the world. They may enjoy brief success, and who’s knocking that, but they do not become legends, super-stars of theater.

Likewise, there are singers who, by their presence, are in a unique category of great performers, like the Streisand’s, the Whitney Houston’s of the recording world, the Pavarotti’s of the operatic world, and the Patti Lapone’s, the Barbara Cook’s or the Idina Menzel's of the Broadway stage. Then there are the "here today and gone tomorrow’s" like Tiffany, or Hillary Duff, or countless others who hit and disappear into oblivion. Why? Because some record producer "knew" what would sell and he sold it. But the performers were never allowed to develop a persona of their own, one that grew out of who they had been, who they were, and who they were becoming.

Stage presence, developed over time as a natural extension of who YOU are inside, also then contributes to your longevity in the business as well.

What happens is that when a singer climbs up onto a stage, he learns that this is the time to take the mask off, rather than put one on. The more of your own inner soul you can bring to your performance, the more stage presence you will have...the more you will find your audiences being pulled into the world you are creating for them in that moment.

So, you see that the more you practice, the more comfortable you become with performing; the more comfortable you get, the more confident you are; the more confident, the more willing you are to exposing your real personality through your performance. And when you do that....Man, that’s stage presence!

From February, 2005 newsletter to my singers:

NOTE: This article and many many more like it are included in the new eBook from Sing Your Life Enterprises, "Sharing Your Gift of Song and Creating Magic in Your Own Life". You may pre-order your copy and receive a 25% discount off of the purchase price of this eBook

RECORDING and “LIVE” PERFORMANCE

I've often said that I'd rather sing in front of 100,000 people than spend a single hour in a recording studio. My problem is that without someone to "talk" to, I can only hear the flaws in my voice through the earphones.

It's true that when you perform "live", your audience can see you, the expressions on your face, your smile, your frown, the way your body moves, and many vocal "flaws" go unnoticed, if not by you,  the performer, at least by the listeners.

Not so with a recording. Since the listener cannot see the singer, every note matters, and even more than that, the meaning and feeling of the lyric must be felt through the recording.

I had occasion to be one of 3 judges for a singing contest a studio in Florida was conducting last year.

I listened to about 600 singers, each singing one song that were on 30 CD’s which were sent to me by the contest producers. They gave me 2 weeks to listen to all 600 entries and complete score sheets for each singer. The single thread that seemed to flow through each entry was the lack of sufficient expression to keep me interested for more than just the initial few seconds.

But as a judge, I HAD to listen to the whole song. It was at times a truly excruciating  experience, and yet it infused me with a new way to impart to you singers the value of understanding, feeling, and communicating the words of your songs to your listeners.

It's just not enough...NOT ENOUGH to have a pretty voice! You must make your listener BELIEVE what you are saying...yes...on stage, but even MORE so in a recording.

You must REVEAL your essence through your song....your soul, your joys and sorrows, your beauty and your ugliness...ALL of who you are. And I will say it again until you understand, singers!

DO NOT BE SO IMPRESSED BY THE SOUND OF YOUR OWN VOICE!

BE GRATEFUL FOR THE GIFT AND USE IT TO THE BENEFIT OF EVERYONE WHO HEARS YOU SING!

In other words, as Ralph Waldo Emerson so eloquently put it, "Get your bloated self out of your own way and let your light shine into the world."

It's not about standing up on a stage with an attitude of, "I deserve to be up here - and you don't"  - Although, I guess that IS one persepective.

And what is perspective anyway?

It's a way of looking a something. And the way we look at a situation, a person, or anything really, determines how we act toward it, right?

Sometimes we get locked in to our particular perspective and can easily become inflexible in our individual point of view about things.

Now, whenever I get rattled or so scattered by projects that I can't think straight, I decide to stop, breathe, and do something totally unrelated to the task in front of me.

For me, a very relaxing activity is playing a game on my computer. I have over 100 games on my hard drive which I play when I need to focus...to draw in my energies and get the overwhelming "to-do" thoughts out of my head.

Now many of these games are very difficult, and require great concentration. Today, I was having particular trouble solving one of the games. I had been on it for about 30 minutes when the telephone rang. I had to stop and take the call.

When I returned to my computer screen, I saw the whole board in a totally new way, and was able to solve the puzzle in a few seconds. What had just occurred was that I CHANGED my perspective!

In performing a song, I believe it's necessary to focus on the right things, and to me those right things are the quality of your communication rather than the sound of your voice. You've heard me say it innumerable times that you need to touch your audience and let them into WHO YOU ARE as an artist.

Even an absolutely perfect voice can leave your audiences cold if they can't FEEL who you are inside.

So whether you’re recording a demo or an EP to sell on iTunes, or singing at a restaurant or club, or recital, or talent show, you must always keep in mind that your talent is NOT of your own creation…it’s a gift to be shared with others. So share it freely and humbly, from your heart, not your ego, singers!

And on that note, I am re-printing excerpts from an article I came upon on the famous Broadway legend, Elaine Stritch to demonstrate a key point on performing. I don’t always subscribe to mainstream vocal teaching methods by any stretch, but I DO have a lot of company when it comes to interpretation. This article will drive home that point.

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Critic's Notebook

A Broadway Legend's Lessons for Singers

By ANTHONY TOMMASINI

During Ms. Stritch's tireless performance on Tuesday, with 16 songs woven into an engagingly rambling monologue about her bittersweet life in the theater and her midcareer struggle for sobriety, I, found her gritty vocal artistry an object lesson. Opera singers in particular could learn something from "At Home at the Carlyle," which runs through Feb. 4, two days after Ms. Stritch's 81st birthday.

To point to the gravelly-voiced Ms. Stritch as a vocal role model might seem a stretch. She is no Barbara Cook, a rich-toned singer with consummate technique who gives regular master classes in the interpretation of musical theater songs to voice majors at the Juilliard School.  

As Ms. Cook approaches her 80th birthday in October 2007, she continues to sing with miraculous elegance and, if anything,  even greater depth. She will perform at the Metropolitan Opera House  on Jan. 20.

Ms. Stritch, even in her youth, was a brassy belter who was tapped as the understudy to Ethel Merman in "Call Me Madam" in 1950. By 1970, when she appeared in the original production of Stephen Sondheim's "Company," Ms. Stritch had secured her place in Broadway history with a raspy account of "The Ladies Who Lunch." In this song, her character, Joanne, bitterly toasts the bored, bitchy and moneyed New York ladies, herself included, who swap histories of husbands over too many martinis.

What is remarkable about Ms. Stritch's singing these days has little to do with the quality of her vocalism. Her sound may be raw and patchy, her pitch may be approximate, but her cabaret show is a vivid reminder that, in essence, song is musicalized speech.

Words come first in her artistry. She knows how to put lyrics across, how to deliver a song.

In the ruminative "I Think I Like You" (music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse), you sense Ms. Stritch pondering her feelings with each new phrase, as if searching for the words to express them at that moment.

Her silences between phrases - when she holds a thought and hardly moves - are riveting...making the silences as gripping as the arrestingly sung phrases.

Opera singers, who can become obsessed with technique, should read the letters of Mozart, who was always directing singers in his operas to "think carefully of the meaning and force of the words."

or a demonstration of what Mozart was talking about, go hear Ms. Stritch sing "Why Him?" (music by Burton Lane, lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner).

In this wistfully amusing song, the singer wonders why she fell for the man she loves, who on the surface would seem to be nothing special. "Where he should be he isn't thin. Why him?" she sings in one sweet  lyric. Ms. Stritch performed the song in memory of her husband, the  actor John Bay, and naturally her emotion infused her singing. But only a savvy actress and vocal artist could make "Why Him?" seem so spontaneous and true. 

If Ms. Stritch does not have much voice left, she certainly has a whole range of expressively weathered vocal inflections. Sometimes, capping a song with a sustained high note, as in Rodgers and Hart's "He Was Too Good to Me," she sort of shouted the top note and defiantly thrust a hand in the air, as if to say, "You get the idea." It was easy for the audience to fill in what was missing.

Curtain UP, Light the Lights!

(A Discussion on Authentic Performance Aspects)

You will notice that I put up a lot of songs on my profile page, right? And it’s not to show off…well…not entirely.

I put the songs up there because when I record them, while I can get a vague idea of whether or not they reflect my inner self, I don’t have sufficient objectivity to make a concrete decision about what songs to put on a CD I am preparing for this Summer, so feedback is important.

Of course, when we seek objectivity, we’re not always thrilled with the responses we get from others, are we? Well, after all, we’re human, right? But we should, all of us, embrace the feedback, whatever form it takes, ‘cause it simply makes us better!

And Sure! I love it when I get positive feedback on my singing, but my job here is primarily to teach, not perform.

Perform! That’s your job! And that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

I found some old articles I wrote years ago on the subject of what makes an authentic performance, and I’m going to try an string a few of them together to articulate what I think are some key components that create the Magic!

So let’s begin…

There are 3 elements that come to mind right off the bat:

• Song Choice
• The Quality of your Communication
• Gotta Have a Gimmick – Really?

SONG CHOICE

(some excerpts taken from SYL Newsletter April, 2004)

"The Song is You"

The words to this old standard suddenly invaded my dreams the other night and I awoke with a new revelation. Although it is a romantic love song, the last 2 lines seemed to speak to me of something else...something genuine, authentic, and true...kinda like the way I want you to sing.

The words to the last lines are, "The music is sweet, the words are true. The song is you".

When I talk to you about being real when you sing, I am talking about choosing songs that are comfortable to you in style and mood, as well as lyrics and melody. When you choose comfortable songs that say what you want to say, AND are based on your beliefs, your traditions, your customs, your upbringing and environment, then you ARE the song, and the song is YOU!

Finding Your Song

I grew up in NYC and was influenced by Jazz and Broadway musical styles.

Jazz songs feel very natural for me...the way jazz notes are bent and improvised feels familiar and comfortable, and when I sing Broadway songs, they flow from me with an effortlessness that feels as if I could go on singing for hours and hours.

Yes, I'll sing a Country tune when asked, or Pop power-ballad, or a rock tune, or even an Art Song if requested on a job to do so, but although I can appreciate and perform all musical genres, if I were to choose an audition song to fully express my essence, it would have to be a Jazz tune, a standard, or something from Broadway.

And the reason for this is that as early as I can recall, the sounds of the melodies, harmonies and rhythms contained within these 2 styles drifted through our house non-stop. Examine your roots to find music that fully expresses you!

I have students who love the Jazz style, yet find it difficult to negotiate through jazz nuances that are not part of their comfort zones. They simply sound better, freer, looser, more confident when they sing in styles that are part of who they are. It's where they can best express their own essence.

The Singer's Comfort Zone

Now I can hear you saying, "WAIT, Chrys! Are you saying that we should never venture out of our comfort zone? How can we ever grow if we don't?"

That's a good question! And "No", I'm not saying don't widen the border lines of your comfort zone.

On the contrary, we should always be willing to stretch ourselves through our performances. And especially, if you wish to work as a professional entertainer, you just gotta know a whole lotta tunes for when customers make requests.

We can also stretch ourselves within our own style. For instance, if we're used to clutching the microphone, we should try sometimes to sing with the mic in the

stand and our hands free. And we should try to stretch our range and to listen to music that is popular, but may not be what we would normally purchase at Tower Records.

But everyone has a center where the music of the heart lives and breathes. In this place is where the Song and the Singer are ONE. And it's where you are at your very best!

And you can find that place by singing in as many different styles as you can, and then checking yourself out.

Do you find it hard to breathe in places; notes that are inside your range, but still not easy to hit, rhythms that seem to pull you off track, phrases that get stuck in your throat?

If "yes", then while you can sing these songs on a job if asked to, they are not the songs of your heart, and you'd never want to sing them at an audition or competition. Songs of your deepest soul expression flow from you

like honey; effortless, fluid, smooth, sweet and clear.

You can read more about choosing the right songs for yourself by reading“The Art of Stage Presence”, because song choice and stage presence are related…and how…for when you sing a song that’s comfortable, you really connect with your listeners!

(from SYL newsletter, May, 2007)

It's so important to choose correct material to sing, people. Choosing songs to

perform is like trying on coats. They need to make you look good, feel good and fit you well. So it's important to know who you are as an artist.

I am delighted to say that we have a great deal of experienced and more mature singers here in this online community, who are most aware of what works for

them, probably because we have had more life experiences, but you younger singers can sharpen your song selection skills too...just by understanding your particular style, connecting with the lyrics, and knowing exactly how to pitch the song into the "meat" of your voice.

My teenager students will tell you that I will not let them perform a song until they understand every single word of the lyric.

You can also reread more about song choice in the March 1, 2009 posting, which is already on the blog at www.SingYourLife.com/blog

THE QUALITY OF COMMUNICATION

(some excerpts taken from SYL Newsletter of April, 2003)

Being Yourself!

I have found that once a student of singing has established firmly the fundamentals that are given in "The Art of Singing”, (previously titled, “A Voice For A Lifetime in 30 Days"), and is ready to start performing regularly, something strange begins to occur. The progress made in the learning process of the correct way to produce sound seems to slow to a crawl.

I have wondered about this since the occurrence happens to almost every one of my students who have apparently gone through the fundamentals of vocal training, and feel that  they have mastered the principles which are breathing, creating the sound, using all the body's resonation chambers, supporting tone with the diaphragm, and avoiding the Seven Deadly Sins of Singing.

What seems to occur is that the singer, having successfully made the transition between the drills and the songs, at least to their satisfaction, quite inexplicably and suddenly performs without any truth, or real expression of self!

When we are learning how to sing correctly, we move from just doing the exercises to singing familiar favorite tunes while applying the fundamentals we are learning.

This is good, for since we are programming the body's cell and muscle memory patterns, we MUST USE the principles of singing in an actual song.

But something else MUST eventually occur in order to be a performer.

And that something is the quality of communication, in other words, the level of realness.  How can we express our feelings in a song using correct technique alone? We CANNOT!!

Everyone has parts of our personality or character that we hide from others. We all do this in our day-to-day experiences. We replace our deep-seeded fears and negative opinions of others and even ourselves behind a mask, or a “persona”, that may show as real enough, but really isn’t. 

During a Performance -

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Now, when these negative feelings show up in a performance as discomfort; maybe by forgetting a line of lyrics , or a distraction of some sort like missing a note you were going for, and getting stuck in that moment of failure, your level of confidence and hence your “persona” identity can usually go out the window.

Remember when I told you that performing takes courage? I wasn't speaking about the courage to stand in front of an audience and sing. That can be learned and as you build your confidence in your abilities, it gets easier and easier.

No! I am speaking of the courage it takes to ALLOW all of your hidden fears and discomforts to SHOW to an audience!

I can hear you say, “WHAT? Are you serious? Expose my weaknesses to an audience? And have them laugh me off the stage??

My experience -

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When I was a student at the High School of Music and Art in NYC, I considered myself quite clumsy, and although I was very talented vocally, I never tried out for any school productions that required dancing because I was afraid being humiliated at the auditions by not being able to dance very well or really at all. I couldn’t even fake it by being graceful, so I missed out on many a role that I could have probably been great on because of my fear.

Later on in college, I continued to play it safe, by singing with a small band in a

club with a small stage that limited my movements. This way I could disguise the fact that I thought of myself as homely and clumsy, even if I knew I could SING.

Peoples' comments on my performances back then were, "You sing so well. We enjoyed it." "You have a great voice". "Your range is exceptional!" "You have great pipes."

No one back then ever commented on how my performance made them feel.

It wasn't until my 30's that I discovered something quite by accident. I was singing in a Dinner Theater in Arizona, and was given a medley of songs to perform by the musical director.

The medley consisted of 3 songs about Rhythm, "I Got Rhythm", "Fascinatin' Rhythm", and "Crazy Rhythm". I had told the musical director that I really didn't think I could pull off this medley and begged him to give it to one of the other singers.

"No way!" he said.

"You are the best singer in the house. Why wouldn't you want to do it?"

I reluctantly admitted to being too clumsy to sing about rhythm. He laughed and said,

"I thought you'd know by now that a pro takes a deficit and turns it into an asset.

You are a pro! Do it as camp! Make it funny!"

That one phrase about turning a deficit into an asset changed my entire view of myself and my performance, and when I finally did perform the medley,

I purposely and exaggeratedly stepped all over my own feet, (A la Fannie Brice), and had the crowd in the palm of my hand. They roared with approval, and I learned that by revealing something that I had tried to hide for years, I was more accepted than ever before.

As the customers filed out of the theater that night, they said things like,

"You made us feel as if we have known you forever", "You are so expressive and funny, and we just love you!" "Your vulnerability really came through. Thank you!"

So what IS it that you don't want to show, singers? Do you have the courage to reveal it?

Reveal it to an audience? Dig down and search the corners of your psyche, singers! Don't be afraid of your weaker parts or even your darker parts! Have courage! Because the truth is, when you take that mike off of the stand, and hold it in your hand, THAT is the time and place when you can SAFELY be YOU… warts and all!

I want to say here that perfect vocal tone is NOT, repeat, NOT a prerequisite for giving an authentic, magical performance! There are performers out there who are still filling theaters and auditoriums whose voice have long since gone south, or even those who never really had a voice to begin with.

I am thinking of people like Elaine Stritch, Carol Channing, and yes, my idol of all time, Frankie. No, not Avalon, silly…Sinatra of course!!

By the time I got see him in person he was in his late 70’s and the “voice” was well worn by then. Years of alcohol and smoke abuse had stolen his once gloriously rich tones and he struggled for every note and every breath too.

But what time never took away was his charisma, the electricity he created just by standing there on stage with those piercing blue eyes.

A gorgeous instrument will go just so far and then….well, like Ray Charles said in an interview once, “I’d like to think that when I sing a song, I can let you know all about the heartbreak, struggle, lies and kicks in the ass I’ve gotten over the years for being black and everything else, without actually saying one word about it”.

Here’s something from a newsletter I wrote back in February, of 2005.  It’s on Carol Channing and my experience upon hearing and watching her interviewed on PBS.

You younger singers may not be familiar with Carol Channing, but at age 85, I gotta tell ya, she is a force of nature! Not a great voice or a raving beauty by any measure, but quite an amazing entertainer!

Prior to the interview, she had given a performance and had held the audience spellbound for 1 1/2 hours...all alone on a large stage with a pianist in the pit. That ain't easy guys...A rather diminutive and frail-looking old lady on a huge stage...but this frail old lady can pull it off!

The interviewer asked her right off,

"How do you manage to keep an audience captivated as you just did for a full hour an a half?"

This got her talking about the art of performance, and it so validated my own views that I wanted to share her perspective with you singers.

She knew that she wasn't gorgeous even at 15 when she started performing.

In her 70 odd years of being on a stage, she discovered that if she sang to just one single individual in the audience and, to put it her words, "caught fire with him or her", the fire would spread and it wasn't long before the spark would ignite the entire audience.

And that was it! Just sing to one person, and it can even be a single person in your mind rather than physically in front of you.

She said that the trick was to focus on the one person and not on yourself. "If you listen", she said, "to the sound of your own voice, then no one will listen except you! So don't listen to yourself...just sing to that one person...have a conversation with one person, and all the rest will eavesdrop!"

So I tell you singers, STOP listening to yourself! STOP being so involved with your performance, the sound of your voice, the way you look, the movement of your hands, or feet...

SIMPLY FOCUS on someone other than yourself. Put your ego to bed and just COMMUNICATE! Then you've got something! You really have something!

Finally I want to tell those of you have come along with me on this network idea that it is okay of you decide you do not wish to post any of your music here. We all respect each other here and would never make you feel bad for just listening and watching.

I DID find it interesting however when years ago I sent out a survey to my entire mailing list to get an idea of what they needed from me that I could give them. One of the questions was “Do you believe you have talent?”

And over 80% of the answers to that one question came back as “NO”!

Shocked doesn't even describe my reaction! And my answer to them at that time was this:

“Now I know that what I'm going to say is going to get some heated responses, but I'm saying it! When have I ever been less than totally honest with you guys? Cannot and will not do that!

There are tons of voice teachers who figure since you will never actually see them, they can tell you what you want to hear and collect your money. The best teacher I ever had told me right off to be one thing above all other things!

BE REAL!!

So, pardon me if I have to question your answers to that question about your talent.

If you do not believe you have talent, why are you on this mailing list? Do you think you will somehow develop your talent by reading these newsletters? I'm sure none of you think that! I believe we have a uniquely intelligent group of singers on this list, so that cannot be it.

So what's this all about?

Here's what I think. You'll excuse my waxing philosophical here, but I was truly thrown by these responses, but in my attempts to analyze the results, I had some intriguing revelations.

I believe that we are afraid to claim our own inner talents for fear that once we take that on, the idea that we have talent, we'll be obligated to take a stand on it and actually use it!

I recently read part of a talk by Marianne Williamson, the creator if “A Course in Miracles” , which my son had framed and displays on the mantle in his apartment. It goes like this:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves:

Who am I to be brilliant, (gorgeous, talented, fabulous?)

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God, You're playing small does not serve the World.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking, so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us: it's in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we were liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Don't hide your lights, singers! Don't shrink from the power of your talent.

Maybe it's not completely developed yet, maybe there are cracks in your instrument at times, but it's there! Let the song live inside of you and freely share it as YOU and no one else!

Gotta Have Gimmick…Really?(from June, 2007)

I had this article all set to go last night, but after having dinner with my sister last night, I am altering it just a bit, I told her about the subject matter of my article and she said, "Well, of course!" And then bursting into song, (which we sisters are prone to always do), She sang, "You Gotta have a gimmick if you wanna be a star".

Then she said, "What about Bowie, and Elton John, and Boy George? They had gimmicks, and they were, and still are successful"!

So, I've been thinking about that...and I have concluded, as you will read down the page,  that gimmicks are okay, AS LONG AS THEY COME FROM YOU! This shall be explained later.

Many years ago, in my capacity as a health care professional, (Yes, Virginia, even I lost my nerve and fell into the abyss of Corporate America for years), I had an occasion to attend a 2-day workshop on leadership and management skills. I don't remember a great deal of it, but I DO recall that we were given a short questionnaire to complete which would reveal the kind of leader, manager, instructor, etc. we were most similar to.

The choices were something like:

a)The Drill  Sergeant:  humorless and iron-fisted,

b)The Dilettante: negligent and indifferent

c)The Cheerleader: nurturing and supportive

d)The Effective Manager: fair and objective

As I recall, getting to Letter D was the goal of this particular workshop, and I suppose we all went back to our facilities vowing to be fair and objective, but within 2 weeks or so, we had slipped back into our comfort zone of management. Mine turned out to be (C), by the way.

And it’s true! Letter C is indeed who I am as a teacher and coach, as those of you who have directly experienced me can attest….or maybe not. LOL!

I tell you this because every now and then, and this would be one of those times, I need to "get real" with you people, and tell you things straightforwardly.

And I do you a shameful disservice if I don't drum some crucial truths home.

I received literally dozens of emails about the upcoming “Idol” auditions in August for next season. A few of you sent me clips and asked me straight out if I thought you had a chance at the auditions. Many of you wanted suggestions for gimmicks, to get past the pre-panel process, while others wanted to know what to wear to make them stand out.

While I answered each of you privately, I would like to encapsulate some of my thoughts here. You can take what I have to say at face value, and use it or

not, but basically singers, it all boils down to this:

IF YOU'RE NOT YOU, THEN WHO ARE YOU?

If the 15 minutes is enough for you, then you can work on a costume or a gimmick, and maybe you'll get on TV, but if a SINGING LIFE of some longevity and personal integrity is what you're after, well...hopefully, you'll get the picture.

Okay! Let's begin by asking you some questions:

1. Why do you sing? If your answer is anything but, "because I want to be famous", answer this next one: If your answer is “because I want to be famous”, STOP HERE! You need a reality check and undoubtedly a coach!

2. Why do you love to sing? Again, if your answer is anything but, "because my friends say I'm a great singer", then answer this next one: If your answer is "because my friends say I'm a great singer", STOP HERE and get 10 professional opinions!

3. Why do you NEED to sing? Your answer to this question reveals your inner motivation, and should look something like, "because I am driven to it, because I want to express myself", or "because when I sing, all is right with the world".

To those of you that answered all three questions, this article is for YOU!

I believe that singing is the most personal and subjective art form there is, and furthermore, that unlike dance, or painting, or writing, or even playing an instrument, SINGING, because it comes out YOUR MOUTH, has the potential to totally unwrap your outside persona and expose your inner  essence. And because of this [exposure], it can be one TERRIFYING endeavor.

I mean, who wants to stand naked before the world, right?

Even acting can be excused if it reveals too much of YOU in the process. You can always say,

"I was just playing a part", right? But when you sing...when you perform a song, you are telling a story, and you are consciously or not, exposing yourself, your feelings and emotions about it to your audience. That is, IF you're doing it right!

With that in mind, then, let's take a look at you. Do you know who you are as an artist, as a person? Are you comfortable with letting the world discover you from the inside out?  Because, as you know, revealing your true self through your performance makes magic on your audience.

What we are talking about here is how much of YOU you are willing to reveal...AND...do you hold back parts of yourself that you cannot or will not share with your audience?

We talk about connecting with the lyrics a lot around here, and then telling the story of those lyrics to your listeners, which means that if some of the lyrics are dark, then you need to be open to the communication of that darkness.

Some singers refuse to go there...to a dark place in a song, whether it be sadness, anger, despair, even hatred. I'm here to tell you that if you cannot embrace the gambit of emotions in a song, your performance of the song can be less than thrilling to an audience.

Please understand this...a nice voice, even a great voice, is only 39% of a great performance.

61% is your delivery, your connection to the words, and how well you communicate the song's meaning to an audience.

But because singing is so subjective as an art form, and so very personal, you'll hear the judges on IDOL say things like, "that song was safe...and it was boring", or "in 4 weeks of hearing and watching you, we still don't have a clue as to who you are". They react this way when the singer is reluctant to totally reveal their essence through a song. He/she will choose a song that doesn't ask for much, maybe just enough rhythm and harmonic changes to be barely interesting and fun, but emotionally vacant.

The accolades come to the singer who will use all the emotions of his/her life in a song, and leave it all out there on the stage.

Okay, so here it is, guys! You need to identify yourself as an artist, and this requires you to identify yourself as a person. You need to embrace all of who you are, forgive the stuff of you that you don't like very much, and "let it all hang out" when you perform. And really guys...quit looking for a gimmick and work on revealing the Source of who you truly are!

We’re gonna be talking about many more aspects of authentic performance, people so stay tuned, and please feel free to comment or ask questions. I am already saving up a bunch of questions we’ve already received for a Q&A posting, so if you’ve got anything on your mind, we want to know about it.

Singers!!! Pros, Amateurs, and everything in between!

We are resurrecting the online lessons using Skype, Yahoo, or MSN Messenger.

If you happen to have a webcam with a good strong microphone and picture and would like to experience an online lesson from Chrys, here's what to do.

1. Make a date...just email me with a couple of convenient times for you and we'll work out a lesson slot.
2. Deposit $40 for an hour, or $75 for 2 hours into my PayPal Account, (Paypal email is ChrysPage41@msn.com)
3. Make a Video call at the agreed upon time.

That's it!!

Hope to hear back from you.

Meantime, keep checking th videos on my YouTube Channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/Sing4aLifetime09 ,

I will be adding some new videos effective this weekend.

Thanks, Singers!

Sin[g]cerely,

Chrys

Ye Gads! I once again cannot believe that the month is over already and I haven’t written a Happy New Year newsletter to you all. How is this possible…that the year 2011 has raced in and is in full swing so quickly?

I have loads to tell you so let me begin, okay?

First of all, let me wish you a belated but still heartfelt Happy New Year. I certainly hope your holidays were everything you wanted them to be.

My own holiday was grand. I took the train to Los Angeles and spent Christmas with my son and his lady in Marina Del Rey. Glorious! We had such a great time together…eating Los Angeles Mexican food, (the best in the world)…touring the Getty Museum, meeting fabulous young Angelino’s and….reconnecting with my west coast students, which was an amazing, if not nostalgic experience. We had our regular vocal performance workshop, and everyone sang so beautifully and had grown so much since the last workshop we had together. I was very proud of all of them. And Rick, my son joined us and sang as well. How fabulous he sounds. And the train ride…WOW! That was a uniquely wondrous experience too!

I’ve included a couple of photos in this newsletter, and you can see more on my Facebook page.

I had just enough time once I returned home to rehearse for my Cole Porter evening with my band, “No Exit” at a popular Jazz joint here in ABQ, “Vernon’s Jazz Club”, and my older sister flew in from Dallas to support me and to do some filming of the show.

Some of her efforts were unfortunately futile with all the noise and movement in the club, but there was some that was good enough to put up on YouTube, and you’re very welcomed to trot over there and watch some segments of our performance. Just look for “An Evening with Cole Porter”

http://www.youtube.com/user/Sing4aLifetime09

We were received very well and have already been invited to return in March for another Tribute show. I think we’ve chosen to perform songs from Movies and Broadway…as Jazz tunes of course.

So it is with humility and amazement that I have greeted 2011...living my 71^st year on this magnificent Earth and loving my life.

And the weirdest part is that the whole thing started with an event that I tried to avoid for more than 40 years. I won’t go into details here, (pretty private…and emotional), suffice to say, sometimes the very thing that you think will destroy you, and that you keep fighting to keep away from touching you, CAN often be the very thing that frees you to truly live your life and “Follow Your Bliss!”. It’s just a question of ALLOWING things to unfold and evolve the way they are supposed to. In other words, “Get thy bloated self out of the way, and give it up…let go.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (paraphrased)

Some announcements about what is happening that could affect you if you frequently, (or even infrequently) visit our website.

My plans for the new year, already in progress, are varied.

I’d like to start spending more time on the video collection I am constantly asked about. I am really amazed…and delighted about how many singers young and old, professional and virtually inexperienced, have benefited by these videos.

I have decided to go on with them in a more detailed way, dividing them into sections the same way I would teach a person in my studio.

When I moved, (it seems that whenever I move, some of my equipment needs to be reconfigured to work properly), this last moved altered the way my webcam was operating so I am attempting to install a newer and more sophisticated webcam.

As soon as that’s handled, I will start adding to the instructional videos. There is a URL at the bottom of this newsletter which will show you where all of the videos and other materials are located.

And of course, I welcome your ideas about specific singing issues you might want addressed in a video lesson, so please feel free to contact me and let know what you’d like to see there.

Another plan I have, knowing full well the words of John Lennon when he said, “Life’s what happens when you’re busy making plans”. I thought last year at this time that all I wanted was to relax, retire, and recreate! Boy oh Boy! Was I wrong!!! I tell you, singers, I am having the time of my life…the very best time…and in this my 71^st year.

Okay, so getting back to the plan…

I will be looking for the perfect time to jump away from here for about a month or so in the Spring or Summer to go to Seattle and record a CD of my favorites with my friend Barney McClure, with whom I shared a bandstand years and years ago. Having reconnected with him, I have been inspired to do this CD as well as to inspire others in our age range to stay the course and never give up on dreams.

I will also be working on expanding my private practice There are loads of great singers here in beautiful ABQ, and even great artists need a coach now and then, just as skillful athletes need a coach to point out areas that could use a brush-up.

So in order to have the time and energy to handle all of these “plans”…

I am taking the Singyourlife website down after 11 years of presence on the Internet. Actually much of it will still be available, but it will not be located at www.singyourlife.com

I am moving all the content, including the Blog, to a site I started several years ago, and have learned recently that I own free and clear…with no fees for hosting or anything like that.

So PLEASE write all the links you see here down and SAVE them for future browsing. This newsletter will appear at various sites as soon as I send this out to all of you.

I’ll be letting go of the email manager too, so the only way to read my newsletters will be at the various blog sites where I post them.

I am inquiring as to whether or not I can keep my singyourlife.com email address. If not, however, I am giving you several choices of where you may reach me. PLEASE write them down as well, or copy and paste them into a safe place.

Letting Go of this burdensome website, which has consumed so much of my time and effort will free me up to work on all of the above mentioned projects, PLUS finish 3 books I’ve been working on for a long time, one being a compilation of all the articles and stories I have told you over the years about my life as a musician and singer, another a memoir of sorts, and the third, a novelette, totally fictitious, but based on real experiences.

Below are the new emails and URL you’ll want to save if you want to stay in touch.

For all Instructional Videos and Performances:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Sing4aLifetime09

For Blogs:

http://www.MySingersBlog.blogspot.com

http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/chrys_page.html

http://server10.myebiz.com/chryspage/the_blog.html

http://www.singyourlife.spruz.com

For emails that will reach me in a hurry, try any of these:

CPage119@gmail.com

ChrysPage@sbcglobal.com

ChrysPage41@msn.com

Learn_2_Sing@msn.com

CoachChrys@singyourlife.com

‘Til we meet again, Singers…

Sin[g]cerely,

Chrys

Please forgive the delay in the newsletter for this month, but I've been rehearsing non-stop for my show on Friday. I will send one out next week for sure. That's a promise!!

Hope your holidays were fabulous and that 2011 brings you everything you desire.Meanwhile here's a link to my goings on. Forgive a bit of self-promotion, okay? I'm just slightly excited about this....like...OVER THE MOON!!

http://vernonsjazzclub.com/VernonsJazzClub/Schedule/Entries/2011/1/7_Live_Solo_Piano_with_Bob_Tate_3.html

I'll check in with ya next week and tell all about my workshop in LA, and my Cole Porter Show.

Sin[g]cerely,

Chrys

Yikes! I simply can't get over how fast the time is fleeting by and half the time I don't even notice its passing.

Here we are once again with another Holiday Season upon us, and as singers that means invitations to parties, and dragging out the Christmas tunes, making sure that we can still sing them in the same key that was good last year. If we're over a certain age, that particular element can definitely change from year to year...UNLESS of course you have mastered the "voice for a lifetime in 30 days".

My keys haven't seriously altered since 1979. (Oh, Chrys! Quit braggin').

I feel very fortunate to be working this season because as many of you know, the "holidays" are not my favorite thing. But the one thing I DO love about them is singing the music of the season, and this year I will do a lot of THAT!

Looking forward to riding the train over to Los Angeles to spend Christmas with my son, AND to conduct a workshop for the singers I left behind when I originally left there in 2006. It'll be great to see...and HEAR them all again.

Earlier, it occurred to me, as I was sitting on the floor with sheet music strewn everywhere, that being a professional singer...at any rung of the so-called ladder to success, is hard work...that is IF you really want to do this for a living and for a lifetime, and the the often hateful or simply mean things people say about musicians needing to get a real job is ridiculous!

This IS a real job, and I just spent 6 hours on my livingroom floor working out sets of music for a variety of functions I will sing at this season and then writing out the music in my keys, and alphabetizing all 168 songs into a readable format for myself, my guitar player and bass player. And I have to ask..."Why does loving what we do NOT count as work?"

Shouldn't everyone love what he/she does for a living? Do you?

A lot of my younger students don't get that....yet! But I am confident that they will at some point. Even they have bought into the myth that being a professional singer is a walk in the park. Or that one never has to work at it. Just ask any "famous" artist about that! The rude awakening is enough to lead many young artists into harmful behaviors. If it isn't having to work to stay on top of their game, it's reading their own press and thinking that they are somehow in a space where the air is more refined and they get to breathe it in over the rest of us.

However, with the right influences early, I think young aspiring artists can be educated in a gentle and non-intrusive manner about the business of music.

One of my dearest young students has been with me since the age of 12. When we first met, she was into some really poor excuse for a singer on the Disney Channel.

I used to tell her that she'd outgrow her childish admiration for these people, and even pass them, leaving them all in the dust with her talent.

She would listen politely, and ignore me. It's 5 years later and she's turning into as beauty as well as an accomplished singer AND songwriter.

She sings rings around Miley Cyrus, and her writing skills are getting better every day. And she no longer thinks singers on the Disney Channel are all that much. And she has parents who are involved and keep her grounded.

And this makes me wonder about the so-called "Pop-Culture", as its defined by 12 year olds. I guess I wonder...WHY??? Why is the culture of what is happening in the movies, on TV, and in the music industry, being dictated by 12 year olds?

And then I recall the days of doo-opp an how much my parents hated it. Same chords for every song, same rhythm. Lucky for me, my mom's brother was into jazz and he used to play it for me constantly...

and my father had 3 passions, 2 of which I embraced just to be near him, (because, as the middle child, I felt less loved than my older sister), and the passions he passed on to me were for baseball, and opera. So I had a foundation of music appreciation that served me well as I grew and matured.

I guess when I think about it, these men were the models for what I try to teach today in a way. I expose my students to different kinds of music so that they can know, that there IS history at work here and that although they can enjoy the top 40, just like my generation did and as every generation has, stretching oneself into another KIND of listening, can only enhance the overall musical experience. I certainly have no intention or desire to dissuade any young person from the latest pop culture symbols...except....when it comes to GLEE!!!

Oh, the music is okay...the production levels pretty fine, the dancing top-notch, so what's my beef?

Its the celebration of MEAN, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS, UNSCROUPULOUS, JEALOUS, UNETHICAL, HATEFUL behavior of the characters that just really burns my brain! Maybe I'm just an old fogey, (I believe we are often called "Old Pharts"), but there's more than enough mean-spirited TV on the airwaves right now.

Wouldn't it be something if the show that has the minds and hearts of our youth at the moment, demonstrated KINDNESS, INTEGRITY, FRIENDSHIP, SELFLESSNESS, LEADERSHIP, ACCEPTANCE, AND JOY?

Hey, I don't know. I sort of live in my own world more and more as the years pass. Like the song says...

"I got plenty of nothing and nothing's plenty for me...got my Lord, got my song, got Heaven the whole day long..."

Let's talk about GLEE...whaddaya say, huh?? Come on over to the Sing Your Life Singers Network and put in YOUR 2 cents.

singyourlife.spruz.com/blog.htm

Or you can just respond to one of the places where this newsletter will appear:

Here are the addresses:

www.singyourlife/blog

www.mysingersblog.blogspot.com

And before I forget...WE'RE on "MY SPACE" NOW TOO!

Here's that URL: www.myspace.com/556673795 (or just search for "Chrys Page" in the music devision)

See you over there???

Happy Holidays Everyone...

Sin[g]cerely,

Chrys

One of my followers wrote to ask me some questions about maintaining his voice while performing every day. Below is some excerpts from our exchange: 

Re: . 1) I've been singing and I'm keeping a feel for the relaxation. My shoulders, knees, legs, arms are all relaxed. So is my mouth and face. My neck isn't stiff either. They are all relaxed even on long or high notes. I feel some diaphragm use but at the same time the throat still gets slightly sore. After I'm finished the show I can get back to it within 30 minutes but my throat shouldn't feel sore at all right? My doubt continues to be how much of the diaphragm am I using. It's different showing you as opposed to doing a show.

8. Earnings. I need to make more money. Do you recommend I go in at the rate I want and see which clients I get or that I bend and go in lower and then raise the rates later?

 

I've never been very good at business decisions. Fortunately I had a piano player/partner who handled all of the financial matters, but, as a teacher, I've had to take care of those issues, so here's my take...for what it's worth.

In LA I was bringing in $75-$100 per lesson. When I moved to Texas, I had to go in at a lot less than that to establish myself and then raised my prices to the top of what THAT market could handle. I've had to do that again since moving to New Mexico. 

But in all 3 markets, the price for singing gigs is pretty much the same. 

Pricing yourself too low leads to exhaustion and perhaps even leaving the biz, so you gotta ask for what you know you're worth. The key is to work as many high-paying and high quality gigs as possible while sprinkling in the NH gigs that may not pay as well. In other words look for ways to work less hours but for more $$$, if that's possible.

So, don't devalue yourself, but don't put yourself out of the market altogether. Maybe check around at what the country clubs and restaurants will pay. I would also look into private functions, even house parties. 

Some of my most lucrative gigs were in homes for about 25-50 guests. The atmosphere is relaxed the guests can really enjoy you...and tip you outrageously well.

 

Hope that helps, Doll! Just one 

 

opinion from an 

 old lounge singer/vocal coach. 

 

Wow! Has it been that long since my last blog? My regular routine has been seriously impacted by this move, but thankfully, I am now settled and open for business!

And I gotta tell ya, this isn't easy. I know I write and encourage you singers to DO WHAT YOU LOVE, and keep the passion alive and all that, but believe me, I get how difficult that really is when you are no longer young and spry.

And for this reason, I'm going to share with you the steps I am taking to get back into the swing of things, find work as a teacher and performer, and become familiar and comfortable in my new surroundings here in beautiful ABQ!

I'm not much of a Twitter person, but I will do my best to post my steps here so you may follow my lead...if you want to.

So right now, let me catch you up on what I've done to this point.

• Moved from Corpus Christi, TX on June 17th, flopped in a hotel room for 7 days, and moved into my apt on June 24th.
• Truck was unloaded, and it took the next 10 days to find stuff, unpack it, put it away, get my internet and TV back up, do some food shopping, and all that lovely minutia that comes with moving. 
• Yesterday my granddaughter and I decided to make the place presentable so she could have some of her friends over to watch fireworks from our balcony. 
• Finally, after 2 1/2 weeks of feeling like a vagabond, while I can't say I feel like I'm  "home", I AM getting there.

This week my plan is to:

1. Look up the musicians whose names I was given by my musician pals in Corpus and who I sang with at 4 Texas Jazz Festivals and re-introduce myself.
2. Get on Craigs List and advertise myself as a vocal teacher and coach.
3. Find some rehearsal bands and get invited to a session
4. Contact the Senior centers and residential facilities to get the protocol for entertaining the members and/or residents. Discuss prices.
5. Send out my 4 minute audition demo to restaurants and private clubs here in Albuquerque. There are a plethora of these places in town.  (Click the DOWNLOADS tab for an example of a 4 minute demo. Mine has 5 different songs, but 4 is also fine tho' 6 might be too many.)

Maturing as a singer can be a daunting experience, but doing what one has to to pay the bills can be a blessing in disguise. I have to work, and I see it as a privilege cause it keeps me young, engaged and active. And it is always gratifying to show what I can do, even at my ripe ol' age. 

I want you singers, especially you maturing singers to get the respect you deserve, and also to be able to USE your life experience to inform your work as a performer. This remains my mission in life and is why I am still around.

Follow me here and on FB, singers. More to come....

Sin[g]cerely,

Chrys